Jim Thomas - NFL Chat - 10/4/16

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These are selected questions and answers. To read the whole chat click the link below.

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http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_30

Jim Thomas - NFL Chat

Do you think for 21 years here the rams were the LA rams of St.Louis?


Nope, not in any way shape or form. By those standards, during the time the team spent in Los Angeles and then Anaheim, they should be the Cleveland Rams of Los Angeles/Southern California.

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Harry Mattos, Mike Sebastian, Bud Cooper, Stan Pincura
of the Cleveland Rams

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Hey Jim quick question from New Zealand. Do the NFL players socialise after the games? I mean is there some sort of function where they make mundane speech's thanking the opposition etc over a couple of beers and a sandwich? I do realise often they need to catch planes etc. but did wonder about this.

No, the socialization with the opposition comes on the field before the game (to a degree) and then to a larger degree on the field after the game. The visiting team has a plane to catch. It's a pretty tight window.
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WR Austin is as fast as anyone in the NFL, yet the team mostly gives him the ball near the scrimmage line. Why don't they try to get him more deep passes?


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTzk7qV7NxY


Yes, it would be nice to get Austin the ball more on downfield routes. But he's never been a very good route runner. And at his size, he can get jammed at the line and bumped off his route pretty easily _ assuming opponents can get their hands on him.
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Is G Robinson going to be a bust?

So far, from what I've seen he's playing better than last year. Now, he's a long way from being the next Orlando Pace, but he's getting better. I think you can put the "bust" word back on the shelf for a while.
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Looks like the Rams might just possibly maybe earn that parade by the bye week, huh?

Uh, let's not get carried away. At least not yet.

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Who's getting carried away? I said the Rams "might just possibly maybe" get to 6 wins by the bye. That's a lot of "mights" and "maybes." The point is, it's different being 3-1. That's all.

Well, as someone who witnessed 12 straight non-winning seasons, and 15-65 from 2007-2011 _ the worst five-year stretch in NFL history _ I'm just saying I'll have to see it to believe it.
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I mean, how happy does Sam Bradford have to be these days?

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He's winning games. He's healthy. And by golly, people are saying nice things about him. That hasn't happened very often in his career. When I talked to him after the Philly-Indy preseason game in Indy, he seemed very happy with the Eagles. A week later came the unexpected trade to Minnesota. So far I'd say he's making lemonade out of lemons.
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300 yards by Julio also known as a season total for a Lamb. Julio and his 300 yards. you know, a season total for the Rams number 1.

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Well, a half a season's worth of production at least. :)
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Do you think Carroll saying that this year's Seahawks team has a chance to be the best has any real truth to it? They have had some pretty dominant teams the last few years.

Carroll's always a positive thinker.. I chalk it up more to coach-speak. They've yet to display the kind of running game they featured with Marshawn Lynch.
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Will Jared Goff get any snaps this year?

Not if they keep winning.
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Jim, do you think the current Rams' winning streak is an anomaly or evidence of a trend? I am hoping for anomaly. Thanks.

The Tampa Bay win was fluky because of the Bucs' bizarre late-game clock management coupled with Jameis Winton's wandering through the desert on the last play. But there was nothing fluky about the Arizona game. The Rams' defense put a physical beating on the Big Red. If the defense continues to play like that _ and recent history has told us the Rams won't be able to sustain that level of play _ then the Rams will be in every game.

But based on the way the offense has been playing _ yeah, it's has improved, but far from good enough _ it's a fine line to victory. Turnovers are helping a lot. The Rams were plus-4 against Arizona. And those kinds of games usually don't happen that often.

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What is holding Gurley back? Stacking the box? o-line? Obvious play calls? They really ought to get him involved coming out of the backfield more.....that was an excellent catch he made last week and great move to gain a couple more after the catch.

Yeah, I've long thought the Rams should throw the ball more to Gurley out of the backfield. He showed what he could do in the passing game in a big way on the couple of plays he got the ball in the air vs. Arizona. Teams are loading the box, three's no doubt.

They're putting a lot of emphasis on stopping the run _ that's very clear. More success in the passing game could help open things up for Gurley, but I still have doubts this group is capable of doing that consistently with Keenum at quarterback and the current group of receivers.
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Is Bruce Arians as big a jerk as he seems?

He can be gruff and blunt, there's no doubt. But I wouldn't call him a jerk.

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I know you respect Arians, but I think he's a whiner. The latest was claiming the hit to Palmer warranted a flag. It wasn't.

Yeah, but all coaches have a little whiner in them. I looked at that play several times, and I don't think it's a penalty either.
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Last year, I believe, you mentioned an anonymous exec telling you that Arizona was a fluke. Guess he was right eh?

No, it was a source who said he thought the Cardinals' window was closing due to the age of Palmer and Fitzgerald.
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Interesting story about Fisher ball. The problem with it, I think, is that a whole lot of things have to go right, play after play, for it to work. If you can throw the ball deep though, you don't need it to work every time to be successful.

You're exactly right. A lot of things have to go right for it to be a consistent formula. It doesn't leave much margin for error.
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After one-quarter of the season, the best teams in each conference are . . .?

I think you have to go with Minnesota in the NFC. Talented defense, talented coaching. Making a bold trade like the Vikings did for Bradford shows a confidence in the team by the front office and ownership. A confidence that this is a contending team.

In the AFC it's either New England or Denver. but I'll give a slight edge to the Pats. Given what they went through at the QB position it's somewhat amazing the team is 3-1. And let's not forget either, that they have gotten next to nothing so far from Gronk due to injury.
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When will Cooper and Spruce get a chance to show what they can do? Maybe they are the upgrades at WR we need?

Once rookies fall behind, it's very difficult to catch up. Or at least catch up quickly. And it's hard to see both of them squeezing out a spot on a game day roster. Who do they replace other than Thomas?
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During your pre-season predictions, did you have a W or L for the Bills game?

We didn't make any game-by-game predictions for the Rams this year. I would have to think the Rams would be favored in this one.
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The Falcons have scored the most points in the league by a lot. They've also given up more points than every team but three. Can they be considered a serious contender as long as they are giving up so many points? What's your view of their defense so far? Can they get better?

I'm going to maintain a little skepticism. Let's see where they are _ particularly their offense _ after playing at Denver and at Atlanta in the next two weeks. To me, the defense looks a little better than what I remember from recent years. But losing Weatherspoon, the linebacker from Missouri, for the season hurts. Haven't seen much of a pass rush either.
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There is a lot of conspiracy theory on the ole interwebs accusing the No Fun League of fixing games. Minus the blowout first game, all the Rams wins have been by a TD, with at least some sketchy things going on in each game. If the Rams make the playoff this year, I am CONVINCED games are being fixed...... just sayin.....

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Appreciate the thought, but I'm not a big one for the Oliver Stone theories.
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In our new bizarro world, do we have a parade if the Rams lose enough games?

I think that ended once 0-16 became mathematically impossible.

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I have not been able to see all of the games, but from what I have seen, it appears that Davis and Alexander are doing a pretty good job replacing McLeod. What is your take on their play so far?

When I was at Irvine for the first weekend of training camp, some of the coaches were telling me how far they thought Alexander had come over the past year. They were also encouraged by the improvement from Davis. I think what we've seen in the first four games, for the most part, bears that out. And that's not to take anything away from McLeod. He's playing very well in Philly.
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First head coach to get fired this year?

It seems to change every week. Fisher after Week 1, Buffalo's Rex Ryan after that Thursday night game in Week 2. I would've said Gus Bradley after Week 3, then they beat Jacksonville on Sunday in London. For this week, I'm going to say Mike McCoy in San Diego.
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What's the chance Bradford makes the Pro Bowl this year?

If he maintains that 105.5 passer rating throughout the season, I'd say he has a pretty good chance
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What is your theory on why Gurley hasn't gotten much traction yet. Take away the 2nd half of the Tampa Bay game...

Yeah, it's hard to put a finger on any one thing. We can all see that opponents are stacking the box. We all know that it's a young line still feeling it's way. But similar things were at play last year, and Gurley was able to break his share of long runs. We haven't seen those long runs in a while now. And that, I'd say, is the most puzzling thing.
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I've been very critical of the Rams this year and I still think they will find a way to lose. But, I have to give them props this week for a strong game. I do believe the lack of running game and blocking up front will end up hurting them. But the defensive line looks amazing!

How much longer do the Rams hold out hope that Greg Robinson is going to materialize as a quality left tackle?


It was a dominant defensive performance against Arizona. As for Robinson, I do think he's getting better.
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Is there something physically wrong still with J. Brown or has Wichmann just out played him? I thought members of the Rams were saying last year that Brown had Pro-Bowl potential?

The head coach was saying that about Brown. But you know the old saying in the NFL. . .Not For Long. While Brown was sidelined with injury, Wichmann was improving. It must have been close coming out of the presason, because they alternated in the opener _ which is very rare.
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In retrospect, what if we kept Bradford and landed a true #1 WR. How much better would Rams be?

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Hard to say. Does this Rams coaching staff know how to maximize talent at QB and WR?
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Naturally i curse the rams once they leave and decide hey the cardinals used to play here, its an easy team name to cheer for, my dad likes them, why not be a fan? Then this start and i am beginning to think i am the problem. :)

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Now, now. . . .
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There has been a lot of talk about the inconsistent way the refs/NFL throw flags for taunting (Deadspin has a great article about it today showing Josh Norman getting flagged for pretending to shoot a bow and arrow, and then the SNF broadcast opening montage showing Travis Kelce doing the same thing). Any way the NFL gets their act together about this or people just get sick of it and tune out?

It's my theory that there's too much subjectivity allowed in officiating crews on what is a penalty and what isn't. I know in some ways it's an impossible standard to maintain, but what's a penalty and what's not a penalty should be made as cut and dried as humanly possible. And it's just not on taunting penalties.

Look at pass interference from week to week, game to game, and crew to crew. It seems like there's a dozen different interpretations. For example, I thought the crew that worked the Jax-Indy game was calling things pretty tight on P.I.
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Do you know if James Laurinitis and Chris Long are doing well with the Saints and Pats? I look at the number of points the Saints have given up this year and think that he hasn't made much of a contribution. Which makes me think the Rams did the right thing in releasing him. Your thoughts?

Glad you asked that. Hopefully, it will be posted tonight. And if not tonight then tomorrow on stltoday.com But we will have updates on all 28 ex-St. Louis Rams that are with other NFL teams this season.

The short answer is that Long is playing well and has fit in quickly in New England. I watched the Atlanta-New Orleans game a week ago Monday with a particular eye on Laurinaitis. He started out quickly, but as the game progressed didn't seem to be running that well. I don't know if that was a product of the quad injury that kept him out of the San Diego game or what.

As much as I admire Laurinaitis and respect what he did in St. Louis for many years, at this point it doesn't look like the Rams miss him.
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Minus JL55, what current or former Lamb making the leap into pro wrestling? Kyle Turley was my first thought.....

(Try calling Aaron Donald a Lamb.) :mad:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN1ZUuvts1s


Following Rams release, Quinn Ojinnaka left the NFL for pro wrestling.

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I think I can answer the Gurley question- Why hasn't he busted out? It's Keenum's arm. It's high school at best. Opponents don't respect the arm. So until Case torches a defense for 350, they'll continue to stack the box with nine man fronts, playing run first.

I'm not disputing what you're saying. But why wasn't that the case last year with Keenum and Foles, who doesn't have a rocket for an arm either?
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I agree with a chatter earlier, there has to be a lot going right for Fisher's offense to be very effective long term. Reminds me of the baseball Cardinals offense 2-3 years ago when they had to string together 4 singles to score a run.

When, if ever, will this Rams team add some power to their offensive lineup to score in bunches like the Cardinals did this last year? With Fisher and Snead evaluating talent, I do not see it happening soon. Your thoughts?


They've drafted a lot of wide receivers during their tenure but none of them have clicked. So you wonder about that, even factoring in that there is some luck involved. Maybe Goff turns out to be the next Joe Montana.
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The Rams being favored is usually the kiss of death.

This is true.
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Hi Jim, when you are not onsite somewhere on Sunday seeing a game live, how do you spend your Sundays? In your living room with multiple tv's, each one turned to a different game? In your nearest sports bar? in the P-D's state of the art tv room?

Heading out to Indy this week for Bears-Colts, Kind of an early-season survival game. But I've been at home the past couple Sundays and it's been different. Watch games on TV, just one is fine. Check out other games online, follow Twitter, and keep notes.

This Sunday, I did that for about 14 hours, with Indy-Jax on early, followed by Bears-Lions and Bills-Patriots in the noon slot, Cards-Rams in the late game, and the Chiefs-Steelers Sunday nighter. In trying to broaden my knowledge of the league after primarily covering one team for all those years, I'm also watching and taking notes on Monday night and Thursday night, and watching some games on the NFL's Gamepass service. I'm starting to get a better feel for the league.
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DaveFan'51

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I clicked on "Inappropriate" Above Just because I Don't Like reading JT's Trash anymore!
 

MTRamsFan

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I posted a comment in Thomas' Sunday recap article saying he's been a closet Seahawks fan because he gave the Offensive player award to Wilson. Sorry, but Julio Jones 300 yards receiving and TD'er gets my vote.
 

HX76

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Classic pic of Jesse's diets there primetime, nice one!
 

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I gave a like for Prime Time comments/pics...only reason.
 

ChrisW

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Most answers seemed to be fair. Couple of shots, but I don't see what everyone is whining about. Better than most weeks.
 

Athos

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He's winning games. He's healthy. And by golly, people are saying nice things about him. That hasn't happened very often in his career. When I talked to him after the Philly-Indy preseason game in Indy, he seemed very happy with the Eagles. A week later came the unexpected trade to Minnesota. So far I'd say he's making lemonade out of lemons.

I think it's safe to say that through 3 games to start a season, his 105.5 rating is tops by far. Top 3 in the league right now. 4 TDs, no picks. 70% completion. In fact, his only bad line in completion is 1-4 in the 21-30 yard range, but he does have a TD there and no INT. Some people are still angsty about Bradford, but I enjoy seeing him finally have success on a solid team in the perfect system for him. Diggs is phenomenal, but they don't have great receiving weapons still, but he's getting it done. If the Queens can find a bigger bodied WR to win some 50/50 balls, I think this offense has a chance to be dangerous provided AP comes back (they may also need to look at his replacement, heir next year. Fournette. Dalvin Cook who can be lethal in the passing game. Chubb. Hood. Gallman. If guys all come out, may be the deepest draft at RB in a decade +. Bradford is so happy right now, he's probably popping boners right before every game because the Queens will be going into every game this year favored or with a great chance to win.

I think I can answer the Gurley question- Why hasn't he busted out? It's Keenum's arm. It's high school at best. Opponents don't respect the arm. So until Case torches a defense for 350, they'll continue to stack the box with nine man fronts, playing run first.

Todd seems a bit slower actually. By that, slower to holes, which are fewer, granted, by he seems more tentative. Maybe because of all the abuse he's taken in those 9 man boxes. Gurley isn't quite like Lynch in his ability to have 5 or 6 guys hanging on him and pick up 5 yards. And also, a lot of his great runs were off Tavon fakes and the like. The run scheme has been dreadful from what little I've seen of the Rams. Just not disguising runs. At all.

And yea. Keenum's popgun. Until the Rams put up consistent numbers in both passing game and actual points on the board, Todd will be running into walls all season.
 

Zaphod

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Most answers seemed to be fair. Couple of shots, but I don't see what everyone is whining about. Better than most weeks.
And he did admit to wanting bullets to feed his hate gun. But at least he was up front and honest about the haterade they all drink to the point of illness that is the forum who's name cannot be spoken in such a fine hall as this.

Plus you kind of have to pity the man a little when you consider the people he writes for/to.